Raining lightly, there was a tornado a few miles away, looking to be a great mud slinging tourney.posted by sammyo at 1:36 PM on October 23, 2018

I wonder if these cross-country series are harder on the teams/support staff/beat reporters. It seems like you'd have like 200 people trying to do hard jobs in varying stages of jet lag for a whole week.posted by gladly at 2:01 PM on October 23, 2018

Gladly - - your lips to god's ears that the jet lag keeps the TV reporters quieter at least... man, I love quality insight, but they seem to operate on the principle that it's better to say something innane or self-evident than allow for quiet observation...posted by Seeba at 2:05 PM on October 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

About an hour ago we had a hail storm with some seriously crazy lightning. I think it's done but it's going to be a cold night at Fenway with some wet seats.

The Red Sox have now won five games in a row. They could definitely make it eight. They clobbered the Astros who have a great team and were playing very well.

Fun fact. J. D. Martinez at age 27 was cut by the Astros (a bad team) after three seasons of failing to be productive enough to make it into the everyday lineup. He led the National League in Slugging Percent last year. This is unusual. In fact it may well have never happened that a 27 year old journeyman with no trade value goes on to lead one of the leagues in SP. If you know when it ever happened before I would be very interested in knowing when and who it was.posted by bukvich at 9:08 PM on October 23, 2018

The Red Sox now have scored 8 runs in 3 of their last 4 games. And 7 in the game before that. A team is not going to lose a lot of games if they keep scoring at that rate.posted by LeLiLo at 8:12 AM on October 24, 2018

Watching the Red Sox steamroll through this postseason, and wistfully noting that my Tampa Bay Rays, after a mid-season roster rebuild, went 4-2 against them in August, including winning the last four by a combined score of 26-5.

Nice outing by former Tampa Bay Rays (see? always a connection!) David Price. If Mookie makes that catch, or if the ump doesn't squeeze the zone on the pitches to Taylor, Price throws six innings of one-hit shutout baseball. Maybe he's finally shaken off the postseason jinx.posted by martin q blank at 9:15 PM on October 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

I was at the opener! Walking to the game through a thunderstorm was a little unnerving, but the weather held off. Glad we brought hand warmers. The only disappointment was Josh Kantor refusing to play This is Boston, Not L.A. on the grounds that he wanted to keep his job.posted by zamboni at 7:01 AM on October 26, 2018 [2 favorites]

Buehler has now thrown 108 pitches. He is slotted to bat 4th in this inning.

Since I am a Dodger fan at least for tonight I hope they go 3 up 3 down and we see Buehler for one more inning. Asking to see a complete game shutout is probably far too much to ask for.posted by bukvich at 7:25 PM on October 26, 2018

Buehler was still throwing at 98 in the top of the 7th inning. It's a pity Puig got on base. Of course the manager still could have let him bat but that would require a degree of independence and confidence which is not realistic.posted by bukvich at 8:06 PM on October 26, 2018

Driving home in the rain, listening to this on raggedy patchy AM radio.... Gaaaaaaah that last inningposted by LobsterMitten at 9:06 PM on October 26, 2018

Nunez knocked teakettle over ass, in absurd slapstick fashion, hurt ankle but has to keep playing, then a little hit that lets the go-ahead run score. Way to go Nunez, oh man.posted by LobsterMitten at 10:17 PM on October 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

"How unbelievable has this inning been, where not one... ball that went out of play... into the stands... was even... the reality... of us even talking about it"posted by LobsterMitten at 10:48 PM on October 26, 2018

The Sox's pitcher is at 80 pitches and is still hurling 99mph fastballs. In the 17th.posted by rouftop at 12:18 AM on October 27, 2018

3:30 am...Not a big fan, well not a sports fan at all but nothing on tomorrow(today) and thought I'd catch the last couple innings, tends to be extra fun and exciting. OMG, could not turn it off, worse than binging Supergirl...posted by sammyo at 12:35 AM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Hai guys, what's going on? Was it a good game?

(I'm working third shift as a lead network security engineer, and I was told no more working from home despite they don't have a budget to get me a desk or a phone. So I'm tacking on two hours commute to a nine hour shift, to work from a conference room where there's no heat or AC after 8 pm, answering calls on my personal cell.)

My pain is now your pain, only when I wake up at 2pm, I won't be hungover. Just grumpy we lost.posted by Slap*Happy at 12:35 AM on October 27, 2018

Whoooooof. Well, I'm glad it was the dude who got so close in ..what, the 16th (?)... he gets to have a good night after all rather than an agonizing what-if. This was a hell of a game. Eovaldi, amazing.posted by LobsterMitten at 12:43 AM on October 27, 2018

Do you get a break? If you're in town i'd buy you a cannoli at Bova's, but probably be out in 3..2..posted by sammyo at 12:43 AM on October 27, 2018

My DVR cut of at the end of the 11th inning :-(posted by Pendragon at 3:52 AM on October 27, 2018

Did I miss anything?

Eovaldi lost the game but that was an unforgettable effort. Yesterday I thought the Red Sox were unstoppable and they got stopped. This has become an interesting world series.posted by bukvich at 7:56 AM on October 27, 2018

I went to bed at 2:00 AM during (I think) the 14th inning.

I kept thinking "Tomorrow's game is going to be interesting" and then correcting myself to "today."posted by bondcliff at 8:09 AM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

From a comment on baseball think factory: "Nunez, more than once, has looked like the baseball version of two guys in a horse costume"posted by LobsterMitten at 6:36 PM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Listening to the ESPN Radio broadcast. Dan Shulman's voice getting awfully rough. I can't imagine how he's going to be able to do another 2 or more games.

This is a lot of fun considering that the Dodgers and the Red Sox are two of my three least favorite teams ever along with the Yankees.posted by bukvich at 8:47 PM on October 27, 2018

If I were Kimbrel I’d try throwing some strikes.posted by bondcliff at 9:08 PM on October 27, 2018

The Red Sox are SEVEN and ONE in their last eight games. If the Dodgers starter tomorrow doesn't throw the about greatest game of his life he is liable to be looking like Charlie Brown on the pitcher's mound dodging line drives and losing his clothes.posted by bukvich at 9:11 PM on October 27, 2018

Yeah, I don't see the Dodgers winning the series, but I kind of hope they win the next game so the Sox can clinch at home in Boston.posted by languagehat at 7:45 AM on October 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

Pierce just hit a two run homer in the first so we're off to a good start.

I'm torn, I want them to win and get it done with but, yeah, it's always nice to see them win at Fenway.posted by bondcliff at 5:23 PM on October 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

The Sox need to win tonight so I can start getting a full night's sleep again.

Also so the cupcakes I made this afternoon can be World Series Champs cupcakes instead of self-indulgent I Just Really Wanted Cupcakes cupcakes.posted by cellar door at 5:43 PM on October 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

Lucky for Price the Red Sox used 14 pitchers on Friday night so he gets to bat again.posted by bukvich at 6:52 PM on October 28, 2018

And Price gets to bat with two men on!posted by bukvich at 7:19 PM on October 28, 2018

Kershaw has thrown less than a hundred pitches and he doesn't get to go face the top of the order for a fourth pass. Very disappointing. This could have been the Charlie Brown blown off the pitchers mound show.posted by bukvich at 7:31 PM on October 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sale was literally toying with them. Three balls way up and outside in a row? Followed by three nasty, nasty strikes? 97mph fastballs followed with 86mph change ups? Sale was putting on a clinic. Making the dirtiest hitter in baseball look like a fool as the final out? Yup. Starters are special. Usually he had to make the magic last six innings. Here, he only has three outs. Pure magic for the victory!posted by Slap*Happy at 9:15 PM on October 28, 2018 [5 favorites]

I am a leeeeetle sad that the Sox won last night... because I had tickets to game 6 and it would have been EPIC OMFG. But this’ll do, boys.posted by lydhre at 6:14 AM on October 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

Congratulations, Sox! And I'm very happy for Price. If anybody brings up the "can't win in postseason" thing, he can just flaunt his Series ring.posted by languagehat at 6:31 AM on October 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

Alas, despite the win, I was kept up into the wee hours of the morning by that damned milk. Where did he get it? Surely there's not a concession stand within Dodger Stadium selling ingredients for french toast. Did security really not balk at a half-gallon of milk? Did he somehow manage to hide it on his way in? Was it warm, or did he have a cooler and ice packs as well? Most importantly, what is the use case for a half-gallon of milk at a baseball game? INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW.posted by cellar door at 6:47 AM on October 29, 2018

Dodger Stadium lets you bring in outside food and drink (in plastic bottles), but the half-gallon is still decidedly weird. I guess there's a security guard out there who is shaky on metric conversions, or decided that it wasn't worth the argument.

Food Brought into Dodger Stadium
Food is permitted from outside the stadium provided it is not in bottles, cans, coolers or thermoses. Unbroken, factory sealed plastic bottles of water and other non-alcoholic beverages of 1 liter or less are permitted.

Bottles, Cans, and Outside Beverages
No bottles or cans are permitted in Dodger Stadium. Exceptions are made for fans with medical needs, baby bottles and factory sealed water bottles of one-liter in size or less.

LobsterMitten, agreed - absurdly beautiful, maybe? In case you happen to revise this thread: I think the catcher-pitcher hug started with this moment, since dubbed the "Berra hug."

After probably the greatest WS performance ever, no less.posted by martin q blank at 10:45 AM on October 29, 2018

Serious, the Cora/Dumbrowski Rover concept for post-season play is something that will be imitated by successful teams in October for decades to come, much to the delight of fans. Also, it sounds cool - Rover! Like an Irish privateer...posted by Slap*Happy at 1:28 AM on October 30, 2018